Actuary of the future: Dewald Bothma

Employer and area of workAlexander Forbes Financial Services, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Entered ProfessionFebruary 2008.

Describe yourself in three wordsHappy, generous, consistent (I like to think).

Tell us your formula for successThe days when I think “today may be my last” are rather productive and satisfying — so I try and capture that thought.

What irritates you in others?It takes a lot to irritate me. Maybe projecting their irritableness onto me.

What’s your best attribute?My happiness. And your worst habit? Picking up the mannerisms of those I spend time with.

Alternative career?Horticulturalist — my studies have often conjured images of me with a spade in one hand and a carrot in the other.

What is your greatest extravagance?My phone bill — relationships, I believe, will last into heaven one day.

Who would play you in a film of your life?An Afrikaans actor — I like authenticity.

Tell something unusual about yourselfI grew up on a farm and, among other things, have helped deliver a few calves (some at strange times — cows don’t decide beforehand, like humans sometimes do, when they’ll deliver).

How do you relax away from the office?I forget about work...

What three items would you take to a desert island?Speaking from a lack of experience, but from a careful observation of movies I’ve seen of shipwreck victims: matches, Bible, and a generous supply of almonds (someone told me you can actually survive on those nuts).

What is the greatest risk you have taken?Rejecting my first job offer in order to stay in Cape Town.